


Even if I'm the Last Standing

by standoutme



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bobby is a flirt, Bobby redemption arc?, Grief/Mourning, I can't promise anything in regards to ships, Multi, Rose is Julie's mom, The power of friendship, angsty but soft, canon character death, for now it's purely a FRIENDship, no surprise there, we shall see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26882038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/standoutme/pseuds/standoutme
Summary: In which we get to see what happens after the boys go for hotdogs in 1995ORHow do you think Julie and Carrie became friends in the first place? And the Molinas ended up living in THAT house?ORRose helps Bobby through losing his friends, and helps him find his way back to music (the same way the boys later help Julie find her way back to music)
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Julie Molina's Mother, Julie Molina's Mother/Ray Molina
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

Rosa Pérez was not a fangirl. Far from it, in fact. At the mere age of twenty-one, she had been writing and performing music for ten years, and had quite an impressive (or at least extensive) resumé when it came to former band affiliations. The most recent one, Rose and the Petal Pushers, had just split up due to drama (no surprise there), which landed the young woman bartending at the Orpheum. She had to do something to pay her bills, and at the Orpheum, at least she was in the right place. It was the place to be for someone dreaming of making it in the music industry, but of course, there were a lot of people sharing that dream in Hollywood in the mid-nineties. Nevertheless, working at the Orpheum gave her the opportunity to make connections, to meet managers and record execs, or a new band for that matter. It also inspired her. Live music from insanely talented up and coming bands would do that to a young girl with big dreams.

The band playing tonight though, they were something for the books. Rose listened and watched in awe, as the four young men not only hit every note, but performed together with a chemistry she hadn’t seen before (and could’ve only dreamed of with the bands she’d played with before).

After the boys were done with their soundcheck, they were hyping each other up on stage, and with a bittersweet notion, Rose realised the reason she was so drawn in by their behavior: her old band members had only ever fought for the spotlight and pushed each other down. While it was refreshing to see a band so supportive of each other, there was a lingering thought at the back of her mind that kept trying to bring her down; realistically, she would never have that herself.

As the band went off stage they made their way towards her, where she stood at the bar desk, a tall brunette leading the way with a smirk on his lips as he approached her.

“Vegetarian- I could never hurt an animal,” he said, breaking off his friends’ discussion about hot dogs. 

“You guys were really good,” Rose greeted, sincerely. She couldn’t exactly not give them the praise they deserved after a soundcheck that was better than most actual shows she saw.

“Thank you,” the lead singer smiled, brown eyes dreamy as he glued them to hers.

“I see a lot of bands, been in a couple myself, I was really feeling it,” she continued.

“Well that’s what we do this for, I’m Luke, by the way,” the lead singer replied.

“Hi, I’m Reggie!” smiled the bassist.

“Alex,” the drummer greeted.

“Bobby,” the guy who had first approached her finally smirked.

“Nice meeting you guys. I’m Rose.” 

“Oh, here’s our demo, and a t-shirt, size _beautiful_ ,” Reggie grinned, handing them over to her with one of the worst flirting attempts she had ever seen. She couldn’t hold back a smile, though, because as ridiculous as that attempt was, it was also kind of cute. It kind of threw her off, though, having three boys from an amazing band fight over her attention. Luke and Reggie surprised her more than Bobby, though, because when they were up on stage she could’ve sworn those boys were head over heels for each other.

“Thanks…” she grinned, holding the shirt up in front of her before throwing it over her shoulder. “I’ll make sure not to wipe the tables down with this one.” 

“Oh, good call. Whenever they get wet they just kind of… fall apart in your hands,” the drummer explained, a disappointed look on his face.

“Don’t you guys have to go get hotdogs?” Bobby questioned.

“Yeah, he had a hamburger for lunch,” Luke explained, as he leaned in over the bar desk, clearly trying to mess with his friend, before leaving the Orpheum with Reggie and Alex in tow.

“So, Rose,” Bobby began, crossing his arms over his chest. “Any chance you’ve got a break coming up soon? I could hook us up with some veggie burgers,” he suggested, pulling a hand through his hair, in an attempt not much better than Reggie’s.

Rose contemplated, clearly this boy was a flirt. To be honest, all of them had seemed to be, except for the drummer. But then again, they were the best band she had heard in a very long time, and they were just about to break through, she could just sense it with all her being. This was _why_ she took the job at the Orpheum, to make industry connections, to make new friends in this new city, to find bands to cooperate with. Where was the harm in grabbing a burger with a cute, and clearly talented boy?

“You know what, why not,” she smiled, putting her rag down on the bar desk, walking around it with a small “lunch break” mumbled to her co-worker before she left the Orpheum with her new acquaintance.

“Bobby, right?” she asked, as they crossed the street together in the already dark Hollywood evening.

“Yeah?”

“Just so we’re clear, this is not a date.”

“Oh, it’s totally a date,” he grinned teasingly, opening the door to the burger shack for her.

“I’m pretty sure I’m too old for you anyway,” she laughed, sitting down by a window-side table and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not.”

“How old are you, anyway?” she asked.

“I’m 19, you?”

“Told you so. I’m twenty-one. Sorry, bro.”

“That’s _nothing_. Depp is literally eleven years older than Moss, and that seems to be working out great,” Bobby defended.

“You’re impossible, did you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

\---

Weirdly, something really clicked between her and Bobby. Not in a romantic way, which he clearly had been hoping for at first, but on a different level. Within the first twenty minutes of eating their burgers they found themselves talking about anything and everything. And the music - they just seemed to _get_ each other as they talked about their music, their dreams and their experiences. Talking to him was just easy. 

“Alright, alright. Favorite band, shoot,” Bobby grinned, pushing a French fry into his mouth as he anticipated her answer. 

“How am I supposed to say anything else than Sunset Curve now that I got this _beautiful_ t-shirt?” she laughed, holding up the t-shirt between them.

“ **That** \- is the correct answer!” Bobby grinned, high-fiving her over the table before chowing down on more fries. 

“How about you? What’s your favorite band?”

“I’d be the worst friend ever if I didn’t say Rose and the Petal Pushers right now,” he grinned in response, earning himself a shoulder punch.

“Shut up, Rose and the Petal Pushers are dead and gone, and you haven’t even heard any of our stuff!”

“Fine, fine! But I’m holding you to it, you have to show me your demo.”

“A promise is a promise,” she smiled, but her attention was quickly drawn from the boy in front of her to the wailing sirens outside the window, as an ambulance pulled into the Orpheum parking lot making her heart skip a beat.

“Bobby,” she whispered, hauntingly, all colour draining from her face as a second ambulance pulled up.

The boy turned around, his face falling at the familiar sight of a pink hoodie and a head of blonde hair that was being rolled into the ambulance. Bobby stood up in alarm, staring at the scene in front of him, frozen, hands clenched.

“Is that…” Rose begun to ask, but stopped herself at the haunting realisation. That was his friend, being rolled into the first ambulance on a stretcher. 

“Bobby,” she said, voice shaking, as she turned around quickly to grab the hand of her newfound friend. “We should go make sure everything is okay,” she continued, swallowing down on a big lump in her throat.

“Luke,” the boy whispered, absentmindedly, his voice cracking and his eyes glued at the Orpheum parking lot. It was right about then that the sound of sirens wailing approached again, and what Rose could only assume was a third ambulance pulling up to the parking lot behind her.

“I… Reg,” Bobby cried, a single tear making its way down his face as he tried pulling his hand away from her.

Rose’s heart stopped at the mention, the fear she hadn’t dared imagine when the second ambulance pulled up had come true; something had happened to all three of them. And in front of her stood a terrified boy she had only known for about an hour, falling apart by the minute.

“Bobby,” she mumbled, trying to make eye contact with the distant boy who’s hand she was holding onto for dear life. “Look at me,” she continued, finally getting his attention. “It might not be as bad as it looks,” she mumbled, internally cursing herself for the words that seemed to come out all wrong. “I’ll drive you to the hospital. My car is parked just outside, okay?”

“Okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

The waiting room at the hospital was silent. Far from empty, yet silent. Three older couples had eventually turned up, and Rose could only assume they were the parents of Bobby’s bandmates. They didn’t speak to each other though, out of all six of them, only two had greeted Bobby when they arrived, and now they all sat in silence, the air of the room growing thicker by the minute. Rose couldn’t possibly tell how long they had been sitting like that when a doctor stepped into the room, his face haunt.

“Families of Luke, Reginald and Alexander?”

They all stood up at that. Everyone but Rose and Bobby, who looked up at the doctor in anticipation.

“We did everything we could-“

It was all a blur after that. The silence of the room broke into sobs, as Bobby abruptly got to his feet and walked out of there with determined, fast steps, Rose following suit into the corridor.

“Bobby wait!”

He kept walking, so fast she had to run to catch up to him. Eventually she managed to grab his wrist, causing him to turn around and face her, violently pulling his arm away from her in the process.

“Get away from me!” he exclaimed, turning around to walk off again but stopped by a soft grip on his shoulders.

“You’re not alone,” she whispered, causing the much taller boy to turn around slowly, face falling as his brown eyes met hers. Within seconds he was in her arms, allowing himself to break down properly for the first time that night.

Rose barely noticed when tears started escaping her eyes as well, as she held onto the boy in her arms for dear life, trying her hardest not to imagine the unimaginable; losing all three of your best friends in one night.

“You’re gonna be okay, I’ve got you,” she mumbled into his shirt, trying to convince herself as much as him.

When he finally pulled away from the embrace, the boy cleared his throat trying to keep a straight face, probably trying to keep his emotions in check.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” he mumbled, voice breaking.

Nodding, the girl took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go then.”

\---

After driving around for the better part of an hour in the dark Hollywood night, they parked on the street outside Bobby’s house. A horrible silence filled the car, as Bobby made no move to exit, and simply stared at the house with an expression that could only be described as dread.

“I don’t think I can go in there,” he finally managed, swallowing down on the lump in his throat.

“Do… do you want to come back to my place?” she offered, not entirely sure what was the right thing to say in this situation.

“Could you… come with me?” he swallowed, turning his gaze away from the house to meet hers again.

Rose nodded, quite violently at the request, turning the engine off and putting a hand on the handle. “I can do that.”

As they got out of the car, Bobby led her with slow steps towards the garage, stopping in his steps as he reached the door and placed his hand on the door handle. He stood like that for a while, collecting his breath – collecting himself, before finally opening the door.

Entering the garage, Rose realised it was so much more than a garage. In the center of the room stood a grand piano, in the back – a set of drums. There were several guitars, speakers and microphones. A black leather couch with a pillow and a duvet, an armchair with another pillow, and clothes spread out across the room. This was their studio. Hell, it was more than that. From the sight of things it looked like _at least_ two teenage boys had been living there for quite a while. Despite the absolute mess it was, this place screamed home, and Sunset Curve, in every way possible – and realising that, Rose understood why Bobby had been so reluctant to go inside.

The boy in front of her let out a muffled sob before crashing down on the couch, burying his face in the pillow. At first it was silent, calm sobs, but before long he had a hard time catching his breath, causing the girl to rush to his side. “You have to breathe, Bobby,” she mumbled, rubbing her hand over his back, breathing slowly and loudly for him to hear and follow. His breath soon slowed down, and the boy became silent again as he sat up, eyes empty as they stared into thin air.

“They were all pretty much living here,” he whispered calmly, having somehow collected himself, as the girl sat down on the couch next to him.

“I couldn’t bare listening to those fucking hypocrites crying in the waiting room. They weren’t…” he took a deep breath before continuing. “They never cared before. I was their family. They are… _were_ , like my brothers.”

“I’m so sorry, Bobby. If there’s anything I can do-“ Rose couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. She was at a loss for words. There couldn’t possibly be anything she could say or do to make things better. He had lost his three best friends, his family, just a few hours ago. She was never going to be able to make that better, no matter how much she wanted to. She couldn’t bring them back to him, she couldn’t make him forget, and she couldn’t make the pain go away.

It was absurd, really. Some hours ago, she had just started her evening shift, met an amazing band of vivid, flirty boys, and now here she was – comforting the last one standing like she had known him forever.

“Could you… stay?” he asked, brown eyes looking up to meet hers with a painfully vulnerable gaze.

“Of course,” she managed, breaking up in tears as she reached out, pulling his head into her shoulder, unable to look into that painful gaze for another second. A gaze that brought dark thoughts to her mind, thoughts that managed to break her just as they brushed past her. _What if it had been Victoria who died?_ Swallowing hard and pushing the thought away, Rose put all her focus on the boy in her arms. The new friend who needed her more than anyone had ever needed her before. The young guitarist who, in one night, had lost _everything_. And she simply couldn’t allow it, she couldn’t leave it at that. He needed _something_ , she needed to leave him with something.

Eventually he placed the pillow in her lap and rested his head on it, laying down. As Rose ran her hands through his hair, salty tears making their way down her face, she carefully sung a melody that made its way into her head to him as he drifted off to sleep.

_Here’s the one thing I want you to know  
You got some place to go  
Life’s a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe  
You don’t give up, no, you grow_

_And you use your pain  
Cause it makes you you  
And I’m gonna hold you through it  
I know it’s not the same  
You got living to do  
And I just want you to do it_


	3. Chapter 3

They were pretty much inseparable after that. Bobby had woken up in a panic the next morning, pacing the garage, rambling on about needing to get out of there. So they had. Rose had an apartment big enough for two, seeing as her former bandmate Erin had moved out a few weeks ago, and Bobby didn’t seem too keen on staying in his parents’ house nor the garage, so it made sense for him to stay there. Neither of them had expected it to become permanent, but two months later he was still occupying the guest room, paying rent, and it… worked. Given the circumstances of how they first met, they had become fast friends, who could talk about anything and everything and always lean on each other. The only problem was that Bobby was crawling into a shell. While Rose still worked at the Orpheum, and wrote music in her spare time, Bobby spent most of the time locked in his room – his parents helping him out with the rent. If it weren’t for the fact that he came out of there when she got home from work for dinner and movie nights, she’d be genuinely worried. Well, she worried about him, still, but not to the same degree.

It was easy to see what he needed. He needed to grieve properly, to pick his guitar back up, to go visit his parents – but he did none of those things. Rose was careful not to push him too hard. After all, it was his grief, not hers, and who was she to tell him how to do it? Sometimes she would nudge him, carefully, discretely. Like trying to get him to come with her to the Orpheum when there was a good band playing - or asking him for help when she was working on a song. He always withdrew, though, backing into his shell – or his bedroom, as it was. She figured it was a result of all the media coverage the story had been getting. For the first two weeks, the news would not shut up about the band and the tragic accident, and Bobby’s parents had been getting loads of calls from reporters trying to interview him or get him to perform the band’s songs. That was probably why he had stayed at her place for so long too, because nobody knew where to find him.

Rose entered the apartment late that Friday after her shift at the Orpheum, tired, yet determined to get her best friend out of his room. As soon as she opened the front door, though, he was halfway down the hallway and they both spoke at the same time.

“Hey Rosie, have you seen my-“

“I brought Chinese food, vegetarian-“

The pair burst into laughter at their mishap, although it wasn’t entirely uncommon. Communication wasn’t their strong suit and they found themselves speaking over each other a lot of the time.

“What were you looking for?”

“You are an _angel_ , Rosa Pérez.”

Another laugh filled the room, and Rose made a point of zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key before holding her free hand up as to signal for him to speak.

“Thank you for getting food, I am _starving_!” Bobby exclaimed, taking the paper bag off her hands with a goofy smile. “Oh, and I was wondering if you had seen my Walkman anywhere?”

“I know, I know, I’m an _angel_ ,” the girl grinned, shaking her head as took off her jacket and hung it up. “I have _no idea_ what you’re doing with it in there, and I _don’t_ want to know – but I’m pretty sure I saw it in the bathroom last?”

“ _THAT’S_ where I put it!” the boy exclaimed, eyes wide, grabbing her face and kissing her cheek in gratitude before rushing off to the bathroom, setting down the paper bag on the living room table in the process. “Bobby!” she yelled after him, wiping her cheek with her hand, yet unable to keep a straight face and hold back a smile. It was good to see him excited and smiling, even if it was over things like Chinese food and his stupid Walkman.

\--- 

A few hours later it was pitch dark, except for the few candles lit up in the apartment. They had eaten far too much, and probably had a beer too much as well, sprawled out on the sofa with a VHS rolling in the background. 

“Could you, maybe… tell me about them?” Rose asked into the silent room, immediately regretting her words, scared that if she pushed too hard, she might push him away. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” she retorted quickly, placing her hand on top of his where it rested on the back pillow.

“No, I… it’s okay,” he said under his breath, voice unsteady and low as he grabbed onto her hand.

“I knew Luke the longest. We went to the same middle school. He was… bright, energetic. Almost too energetic at times,” he let out a small laugh at that. “Luke had such big dreams, and the songs he wrote… I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who’s matched his raw _talent_.”

Rose smiled sadly, picturing the lead singer she had only seen perform once, who had basically bounced off the stage to embarrass his friend in front of her.

“Alex was… easily the smartest of us,” he smiled, his gaze steady on something in the distance. “He worried a lot, but he always put the rest of us first. He was caring, and stubbornly kind, even though the world was anything but kind to him.” The boy bit down on his bottom lip at that, and she could tell he was struggling to hold the tears back. “He just wanted to be loved and accepted for who he was.” A single tear escaped his eye at that, and Rose squeezed his hand gently, remembering how confident the blonde drummer had looked on stage that soundcheck at the Orpheum just two months ago.

“And Reggie,” Bobby managed, catching his breath on the words. “Reggie deserved so much better.” The tears were running freely down his face at this point, and the girl’s memory wandered back to that night two months ago; to the boy who had given her the size beautiful t-shirt with a wide grin spread across his face. “He was a hurricane of _happy_ , spreading joy with everything he was, despite being so fucking sad on the inside. I have no idea where he got his optimism, but it was _spectacular_.”

There was something heavy resting on her chest after listening to Bobby talking about his friends. It was a mixture of relief, warmth, and gut-wrenching pain. It was so unfair; that these young boys who clearly deserved so much better had died in some cruel twist of fate, and that Bobby was left alone with all this guilt and grief.

“Thank you for telling me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Bobby managed, at the exact same time.

The two friends shared a bittersweet smile at the occurrence, and Rose opened her arms to him, soon finding herself with the nineteen-year-old in her arms, tears dampening the fabric on her shoulder.

“You know you can always talk to me, right? You have nothing to apologize for, Bobby. I’m so glad you told me about them. I just wish… I wish I could make this easier for you somehow.”

“You are.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing young aunt Victoria might just be my new favourite thing! Please let me know what you think, thanks for reading!

”I don’t like it,” Victoria Pérez declared, sipping on her tea and squinting her eyes at her sister where they sat in the local coffee shop, discussing Rose’s new roommate. Her sister had never been one to keep her opinions to herself, and today was no exception. “Look, I know you have this savior complex, but he is clearly bad for you and quite frankly, he’s not your responsibility.”

“He’s my _friend_ , Victoria,” Rose defended, inhaling the fumes of her coffee and looking out the window at the people passing by. 

“Since about five minutes ago, yes, I know.”

“He needs me, and I care about him. Where’s your compassion?”

“My compassion? I’m just looking out for my sister, who is dealing with _someone else’s_ depression and who I have _plenty_ compassion for,” Victoria taunted, taking another sip of her tea, not leaving her sister with her stubborn gaze.

“There’s nothing you can say to change my mind. You should come by and meet him someday, though.”

“ _Please_ don’t tell me you’re dating this guy-“

“Tori! We’re friends, and even if we _were_ dating it would be none of your business!” Rose finally snapped, setting her coffee down on the table, brown eyes sneering at her sister. 

“Fine. I just think you can do better than a teenager with too much baggage and no actual job. I can set you up, you know, I know this really nice guy; Puerto Rican, handsome - he even has a real job.” Victoria’s tone wasn’t as serious anymore, but Rose knew better than anyone that she didn’t mean this as a joke. 

“Oh, you mean the type of guy that _you_ would date if you were straight?”

“Exactly. I have good taste, Rosa.”

“I’m…” Rose sighed. She knew her sister, and she knew she would never give up this fight. She would keep pushing and pushing until Rose agreed. “Fine. One date. And if he turns out to be a creep, you’re cooking dinner for me - _and Bobby_ \- for the next month.”

“Deal,” Victoria grinned smugly, tapping her teacup against her sister’s coffee mug in a toast.

\--- 

Turns out, Ray Molina was not a creep – he was actually a great guy, and it annoyed Rose to bits that Victoria had been right. Ray was handsome, sweet and well, employed. And he was surprisingly okay with it when Rose had said she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the moment. She was looking for a lot of things at the moment, but a relationship just wasn’t one of them. Her full focus was on trying to get a band together, build her career, and if she was being entirely honest - Bobby. She just didn’t have the time for anything else – despite how cute Ray happened to be. Oh, and the last thing she wanted to do was to prove Victoria _right_. That girl was too smug as it was.

“How was your _date_?” Bobby teased from his place in front of the TV as Rose entered the apartment after having dinner with Ray about a week after her coffee date with her sister.

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were jealous,” Rose grinned, kicking off her heels as she entered the apartment and threw herself on the couch next to her roommate.

“Well, it’s a good thing you know me better,” the boy laughed, forcing himself to a more seated position as he eyed his friend suspiciously. “You didn’t answer my question though, how was the date?”

“It was…” Rose began, but cut herself off with a deep sigh and rubbed her hands over her face. “It was _fine_. I mean it was pretty good, but I’m not _looking_ for anything right now, except for a band. He was- alright, I’m… Victoria won’t be cooking us dinner the upcoming month and that’s disappointing.”

It wasn’t long before Bobby had broken out into full laughter and thrown one of the pillows at his friend. “You _like_ him!” he accused, grinning wide as he grabbed her shoulders playfully.

“I… _don’t_ ,” she begun, but Bobby’s piercing gaze had her realise that she was a terrible liar. “Okay I _might_ , but this is a bad thing, Bobby! We wanted Victoria to be wrong, and I can’t tell her she was right. Besides, I told him I’m not looking for a relationship right now, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Okay, let me get this right,” Bobby began, letting go of her to place his hands behind his lead as he leaned back on the couch. “You like him. But your plan is pretending that you don’t, so your sister won’t know she was right? Yeah, that’s not petty at all, Pérez.”

“That is _not_ my plan!” the girl replied in a jokingly offended tone, throwing the pillow back at him. “My plan is to be his friend because I have a lot on my plate right now… ~~and maybe I don’t want Victoria to be right~~ ,” she confessed with a tortured look on her face, before reaching out and grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the table. “So, what are we watching?” she asked, in a weak attempt to change the subject.

“We’re watching Rose crumble under the pressure,” the boy grinned in response.

“Okay, fine. We’re talking pressure now? Tomorrow’s my day off, and No Doubt is playing the Orpheum. You’re coming with me.”

“What? No, that’s not fair, Rose. I’m not going.”

“Come on, Bobby, you need to get out of this apartment.”

“I can’t go back there.”

“You’re going to have to eventually. And I’ll be there with you. Please?”

“You’re getting me free drinks all night,” the boy leered.

“Done.”

“Fine,” he agreed, after a long, contemplating silence. Rose let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around her friend who had barely left the apartment the past two months, hoping that maybe this was it; maybe this was the turning point she had been waiting for. She was sure that if he just got out there, started talking to people, listening to music, _making_ music again – it would bring him back to life. Because as it was right now, he wasn’t doing much living, and it pained her to see.


End file.
